Who was the first person to repeat as Cy Young winner?

Who was the first person to repeat as Cy Young winner? Sandy Koufax was.

Koufax became the first pitcher to win the Cy Young Award more than once when he captured the honor in 1965. He had already won his first award in 1963, making him baseball’s first repeat Cy Young winner. He then won again in 1966, finishing with three awards in four seasons.

The achievement came during the award’s early era, when one Cy Young Award was given to the best pitcher in all of Major League Baseball rather than one award for each league. Koufax’s 1965 season was extraordinary: he went 26–8, led the majors with 382 strikeouts, and won the pitching Triple Crown by leading in wins, ERA, and strikeouts.

Koufax won all three of his Cy Young Awards unanimously. The award began in 1956, and separate American League and National League awards were introduced in 1967, after his retirement. That structure is why Koufax’s three victories are often compared with later pitchers’ totals across two league awards.